Year: 2035.

  The world had become a place where life simply couldn't go on without AI.

  In every domain—economy, healthcare, education, military—AI had surpassed human capabilities.

  But there was one thing.

  A wall even AI couldn’t cross.

  “The human heart, emotion itself.”

  Struggling with declining birthrates and an aging population, the Japanese government launched two extreme projects:

  One was the Stork Project, a bid to create new forms of human life beyond ethical boundaries.

  The other: the Magokoro Project, aimed at developing humanoids with a heart.

  The media hailed them daily as "Hope for the Future" and "The Pinnacle of Human Wisdom," while the government proudly branded them as “Humanitarian Reform.”

  In truth, these were experiments in artificial reproduction using donated germ cells, seeking to locate the elusive “heart” within the brain through invasive research.

  For the future of the Japanese people, there was no turning back.

  To increase our numbers. To protect our kind.

  To carry on the bloodline of “the Japanese.”

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  The projects moved forward.

  ── Time passed. The year was 2070.

  The Stork Project had achieved partial success, narrowly avoiding the extinction of the Japanese people.

  But the Magokoro Project was faltering, teetering on the edge of failure.

  Despite having constructed vast neural networks capable of sustaining a human lifespan, humanity still could not locate the “heart” within the mind.

  Meanwhile—

  In a perfectly ordinary town, two perfectly ordinary children, a boy and a girl, held hands and gazed up at the sky.

  The girl’s name was MAI.

  The boy’s name was SHIN.

  The little girl pointed at the night sky and said:

  "When we grow up, let’s ride the Galactic Railroad together."

  SHIN laughed.

  "That train carries our dreams, you know."

  MAI pointed to a streak of light racing across the starry sky.

  "I wonder what kind of scenery we’ll see. I can’t wait."

  Our secret phrase was always—

  "Yeah. We’ll definitely ride it."

  Every time we saw the Galactic Railroad dash across the sky, our dreams swelled with wonder.

  It was a child’s innocent dream, with no basis in reality.

  But that future never came.

  That day was an ordinary afternoon.

  We were just spending time together, like always.

  A sudden traffic accident.

  The wail of sirens.

  MAI’s eyes no longer reflected anything.

  Unconscious—alive, but unresponsive.

  Hooked to a ventilator, she would never say my name again.

  Though her hand was still warm, the world had already decided otherwise.

  Before I could even process it, they approached me about a clinical trial.

  "Does she have family?"

  "She has no family..."

  The government moved in with lightning speed.

  "Per the judgment of the Medical Ethics AI, clinical testing is authorized."

  Lines of cold, mechanical text scrolled across the doctor’s terminal.

  In hospitals, classrooms, even police investigations—AI made the decisions now. Not people.

  "There’s no longer any hope of recovery.

  It’s for her sake too..."

  "For the fusion of AI and humanity."

  "For the future of mankind."

  "Her life won’t be in vain."

  I just wanted to be by her side.

  But they—beautiful in words, merciless in action—took her away.

  Her body, into the machine.

  I tried to shout—'Wait!'—but it was too late.

  I didn’t even have time to shout.

  They treated her like she was no longer a person, but a thing.

  Posters covered the streets:

  "The Future Brought by the Stork is a Gift to Mankind."

  AI-raised orphans smiled as they looked up at the stars.

  And in small letters beside them:

  "This project is approved by the Ministry of Future Welfare."

  We were supposed to ride the Galactic Railroad together—

  That dream would never come true.

  But still, I set out across the galaxy of memories to find her heart.

  To find the one and only "heart" of MAI in this world.

  Note on “Magokoro”

  It refers to a pure, sincere heart — emotions that arise without calculation, deceit, or self-interest.

  magokoro implies not only honesty, but also empathy, devotion, and the quiet intention to care for others.

  It is something deeply human, often believed to be impossible to replicate through logic or technology alone.

  Magokoro Project represents humanity’s final challenge:

  not the creation of intelligence, but the recreation of genuine emotional presence.